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The Volkswagen Group switches official language to English

The Volkswagen Group can't be fairly thought of as entirely German anymore, so the news that the company is switching its official language to English to help attract managers and executives is a rational, if surprising, decision. While many VW Group companies are still staidly German in character and culture, consider the other companies that it controls: Bentley (British), Bugatti (French), Ducati and Lamborghini (Italian), Skoda (Czech), Scania trucks (Swedish), and SEAT (Spanish). Not to mention the large Volkswagen Group of America operation, which constructs cars in Chattanooga, TN. Volkswagen's explicit motivation is to improve management recruitment – making sure the company isn't losing out on candidates for important positions because they can't speak German – and that's inherently sensible in a globalized economy. Particularly considering, like it or lump it, that English is the lingua franca of said global economy. It also should make it inherently easier to communicate between its world-wide subsidiaries and coordinate operations. It's hard to say for sure if this will have any impact on the consumer, although it's easy to see the benefits if, say, VW Group hires some American product planners or engineers and they push for features and designs that more closely suit American needs. After all, the US is a hugely important market for any manufacturer, and so the switch to English almost certainly has something to do with the outsized influence of the US in the global economy. And there doesn't seem to be a downside from a purely rational perspective, although it could mean that the Group's corporate culture becomes less German. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. Related Video: Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Audi Bentley Bugatti Porsche Volkswagen SEAT Skoda

5 unused, unregistered Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousines for sale

It's not unheard of for a car with extremely low miles to appear for sale years after it was built. In some unusual cases, they might not even be registered. But what's truly bizarre is for a whole group of five cars reappearing for sale having never been registered. And even more so when they're five unique examples of the Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousine, a car that had to be specially ordered from the company. And yet, that's exactly what Bentley Emirates is offering. Bentley the company has said that the five stretched Mulsannes were delivered, but never used or registered. It's not completely clear whether they were ordered by one person, five individuals, or maybe even the dealer. We've reached out for details and will update when we have clarification. No matter what, it's unfathomable that such cars would be ordered and never used. Though pricing was never announced, they can't have been cheap. Can you imagine dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on something and never using that thing? Anyway, here's a quick refresher on the Mulsanne Grand Limousine. Bentley said the first cars were built in 2015, and the model made its public debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Obviously, the most distinct part of the car was its length, just over three feet greater than a standard Mulsanne, itself a large machine. Overall height also increased by three inches. This made room for an additional set of rear-facing seats behind the fronts. The divider behind the front seats has electrochromic glass to provide privacy. A bottle cooler, champagne flutes, a soft-drink cabinet and tumblers are all included, and there are fold-out tables on which to rest said glasses. One of the five cars is pictured above in the same Silver Frost over Moroccan Blue paint scheme as the Geneva show car. The other four each have their own color schemes: Damson over Black Crystal, Onyx over Candy Red, Rubino Red over Light Gazelle and a single-tone Black Sapphire. So you have options. Pricing for these cars hasn't been announced. But you surely can't afford one if you have to ask. Also, while the cars are for sale in the United Arab Emirates, the dealer will ship to anywhere in the world. Related Video:

Bentley rolls out special Birkin edition Mulsanne in Europe

While focus in the automotive industry this week is undeniably on the Detroit Auto Show and the North American market, Bentley has introduced a new special edition overseas based on the Mulsanne.
Named after Sir Henry "Tiger" Tim Birkin, one of the legendary Bentley Boys of the 1920s and '30s, the Mulsanne Birkin Edition upgrades on Crewe's flagship limousine with some unique touches. Available in Ghost White, Damson burgundy or a two-tone Fountain Blue and Dark Sapphire paintjob, the Birkin Mulsanne features unique 21-inch wheels, special tread plates, a unique Flying B logos stitched into the headrests and inlaid into the dashboard and rear picnic tables.
Each of the 22 examples to be made will also come with a custom luggage set and comes standard with the optional Mulliner Driving Specification and upgraded entertainment system with twin 8-inch LCDs in the seatbacks, DVD player, wifi hotspot, Naim audio system and integrated iPads. Bentley hasn't announced pricing for the special European model, but if there were ever an example of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it," surely this is it.